Asingle iconic quote from scholar W.E.B. DuBois inspired
Tavis Smiley to begin a monumental quest to present the most
comprehensive examination of “the African American imprint” on American
society. When DuBois asked, “Would America have been America without her
Negro people?” the question wasn’t quite so simple.

And now, thanks to the efforts of Smiley,
the Cincinnati Museum Center, Arts and Exhibitions International (AEI)
and a host of national and regional corporate sponsors, America I AM
highlights the complexity inherent in mounting a response to that
query.

During an interview prior to the opening
of the exhibition, Smiley explained that the rhetorical remark from
DuBois was just one incident along a chain of events that took hold of
him and drove him to gather a team to produce this immense traveling
project.

“I was in Jamestown, Va., a few years ago
for the 400th commemoration of the Jamestown settlement, which was when
slaves first arrived back in 1619,” Smiley says. “While there, I
started wrestling with this idea of what was a moment in time, an
anniversary or a commemoration of not just that first arrival of the
slaves but the subsequent stories of all the black folks and their
contributions since that time to make the country great and how those
stories could be told beyond a one or two day celebration inside the
state of Virginia.

“Ultimately what I came up with was an
idea to do a traveling art exhibition that would tell the story of our
contribution from the slaves’ arrival at Jamestown all the way up to and
including the election of Barack Obama as President of the United
States. And that’s what this exhibit is. It's a 400-year journey.”

And America I AM the journey was
built around DuBois’s question without taking anything away from the
contributions — the blood, sweat and tears — of countless other groups
that made their way to this land to start anew.

It's a timely and remarkably relevant
marker for a country that's struggling in many ways and places with the
notion of how to recognize the efforts of various ethnic and cultural
components to our constantly evolving democratic society striving to
come together as one.

“It is only traveling for four years
across 10 cities (it’s already passed through Atlanta, Los Angeles and
Philadelphia) and we’re glad Cincinnati is one of those key stops,”
Smiley says.

Smiley went even further during the press
day prior to the June 19 opening to highlight the importance of
Cincinnati to the development of America I AM. The city serves as
a regional epicenter, the Midwestern focal point along the exhibition’s
tour route.

There are nearly 300 artifacts assembled
to tell this story, and it's certain to be a collection audiences might never have the chance to see again in one place.
It’s difficult to shine a spotlight on just one piece, to offer one
example, but during the press tour, which Smiley led prior to the
opening, he spent an extra moment or two discussing a free pass that
belonged to Frederick Douglas.

As a freedman traveling the country to
raise awareness and support for the Union at that time, Douglas had to
carry a signed letter from President Abraham Lincoln to avoid being
harassed by whites seeking to retrieve escaped slaves. That signed note,
which asserts that Douglas is “a gentleman” and providing service to
the nation, sits encased in glass alongside some of Douglas’ clothing —
in particular, one of his monogrammed shirts. A series of fascinating
and startling contrasts emerge from just these few pieces.

From the sad historic commentary inspired
by the idea that Douglas needed what amounts to a hall pass from the
president to travel the country to the sense that this man, even in
those desperate times, was an arbiter of
cool with his monogrammed shirts, speaks to the enduring spirit and endearing style of African
Americans. Therein lies the unique and uncanny soul of America I AM.

The exhibition, which will remain at the
Museum Center through Jan. 2, is not a stand-alone celebration or
marker. Smiley and his exhibition partners, with technical support from
Microsoft, have created and updated their highly interactive Web site
(www.americaIAM.org) and have a series of books (America I AM Black
Facts, America I AM Legends and the inspirational America I
AM Journal) available to supplement the experience.

Because there is so much to the
exhibition, Smiley believes that the lessons for those who engage in the
experience will undoubtedly be different for each individual.

“Especially in terms of the kids, and I
have seen thousands who have already taken part in Atlanta, Los Angeles
and Philadelphia,” he says. “I am always amazed at what turns them on.
One to the next, they have been as different as their individual
thumb prints.But what I do
know is that every child comes away informed and inspired. It is
informative. It is instructive. It is inspiring.”

For children and adults of all races and
all facets of the American experience, America I AM seeks to
re-acquaint us all with a less explored piece of ourselves.

AMERICA I AM continues at the Cincinnati
Museum Center through Jan. 2. Get exhibition and venue details and buy tickets here.